Hello, Danganronpa fans! =7= Finally, the first trial! Things get pretty tense, so I recommend listening to atmospheric music in separate tabs to help set the mood! Not every single clue will be addressed in this chapter, as this trial will be a two-parter, but have no fear! By the end, you'll understand everything clearly.
...Well, most of it anyway. Some bits will be long-term mysteries to be solved during the final chapters of this SYOC. Ah, and keep in mind that there will be some new...colorful moments to the trials, and we will leave it at that. You'll see what it is.
On another note, the only real mini games used (and I say "used" in the loosest sense) in OMMM will be Nonstop Debate, Closing Argument, and Rebuttal Showdown. The others don't make much sense for the novelization style I'm going for and would be hard to format on top of that, so hopefully that doesn't bother anyone too much.
Anyway, chill and enjoy.
ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a PRINCE who fell in love with a young VILLAGE GIRL. He began to court the VILLAGER, seeking her hand in MARRIAGE.
But a local PRIESTESS became JEALOUS of the VILLAGER, and sought to be rid of her. Using the word of their GOD as a ruse, the PRIESTESS convinced the PRINCE that the girl he loved was a WITCH. She did everything in her power to turn him against the VILLAGER.
"Don't you see? She has cast a SPELL on you. The she-demon is manipulating your feelings. Using you. If you wish to be truly FREED from her influence, you must BURN her at the STAKE."
The PRINCE, frightened for the future of his KINGDOM, cast the VILLAGER into the GALLOWS and set her EXECUTION date. He ignored her pleads and claims of INNOCENCE. Time passed.
When the day of destiny arrived, the PRINCE offered to do the deed himself. Torch in hand, he closed in on her. Looking the VILLAGE GIRL in the eyes, he said, "I trusted you, and you betrayed me. Now you will pay for your CRIME."
But those were also the VILLAGER'S lines.
Their STORY ends in FLAMES.
The tension in the village square is so thick that even a chainsaw can't make a dent in it. There is a reasonable amount of space between each Elite, giving everyone a chance to size each other up at a safe distance. Even the overly cheery students like Nissa and Zachariah appear more solemn than usual, carefully watching over their fellow Elites as we await the arrival of the dragonic familiar.
On the way over to the meeting site, Zachariah had tried to blab some nonsense to me about his epiphany, but I hadn't paid much attention. Honestly, if he was spacing out so often during the investigation, I can't take his claims seriously. At this point, I'm sure everyone here can agree that it's every man for himself. The on-edge silence can attest to that.
I avoid making eye contact with the knight-or anyone, for that matter. It makes it easier on all of us.
One of us killed Mayumi Kichida, and that is an undeniable truth.
Now comes the time of judgement.
"G-G-Good day, all!" a familiar voice calls out from the sky, drawing out attention upwards.
As if on cue, our Narrator lands atop the head of the central water fountain's statue. Fukushi nervously tugs at his oversized bow tie and adjusts his monocle. If owls could noticeably sweat, he would have sprung a waterfall's worth by now. The Narrator glances down at us Elites, taking in our terrified, confused, and bewildered expressions. Fukushi gives an uneasy smile.
"I do so apologize for this..." he anxiously murmurs, struggling to maintain his composure, "I...I did my very best to help with the autopsy report, but...it was so last minute! I honestly didn't think things would escalate to this point. T-To think that everything went downhill so quickly..."
"Awww, cheer up, cheer up!" Nissa suggests, twirling her so-called magic baton in the air. Although she musters as much enthusiasm as she can into her voice, her eyes have a tattletale melancholy hue to them. "It's not your fault, so give us a grin!"
"Yeah," Michael snorts, rolling his eyes with a sarcastic snicker, "it's definitely not his fault that he's just predisposed to being weak and sucking at his narrating job." The bandit gets glares from nearby classmates, but he just shrugs them off.
Fukushi takes Michael's comment hard, visibly drooping. Then, very abruptly, the owl snaps and cries out, "Oh, I despise how powerless I to defy the new rules! But one cannot defy the laws governing the Story-they are absolute! If only I could do more to help you children through this ordeal! That wicked Monoryuu just isn't playing fair! Why, if I had enough strength to rid us of this Curse, then I'd-"
"Oi, oi, oi!" Johanna growls, causing everyone around her to jump back in alarm. The boxer steps forward, the veins on her prominent muscles bulging. "I'd can it if I were you! What's done is done, so that bellyachin' of yours ain't gonna help us solve this shit any quicker!"
"Er...that's her unique way of saying not to worry so much about us." Ricard clarifies, speaking up to translate Johanna's gruff words for her. "You've done all you could, Fukushi-and for that, we are all grateful." A general murmur of agreement circulates among the Elites, bringing the owl a bit more reassurance.
"Well..." The Narrator frowns, shaking his head at us. "I still wish I could give you more assistance. The influence of the Curse is quite frightening, and even more so with the presence of that terrible dragon. I'm happy that you children have at the very least cooperated on the investigation.
"In dark times like this, we must look out for one another!" Fukushi insists, glancing in my direction as he speaks. From the way his eyes turn down in concern, I suppose he has already taken note of my bandaged forehead. You know that you've accumulated far too much sympathy when even talking owls are gaping in public.
Fukushi smiles again with a bit more oomph this time. No one dares to point out the existence of a murderer among us. Such would destroy our fragile peace and set us spiraling into chaos before the trial.
Scratch that, I mean almost no one.
"Are you losers daft?!" Lance spits, shattering the silence with a sour expression, "One of you is definitely guilty, otherwise we wouldn't be in this crappy situation! If you actually had some intelligence in those empty skulls of yours, you'd know that!"
Ellanora shrinks away from her classmate, terrified at the prospect of a killer in the group. I can clearly see why she loathes Lance now that I properly know the nasty little fellow. Then again, who doesn't dislike him?
"...Mister Hawthorn is correct." Carina pipes up sternly, seconding the ventriloquist's thoughts. Fukushi lets out a strangled yelp, horrified by her words. "We can pretend all we like, but ultimately, that doesn't change anything. To begin with, we don't even consider each other friends, only mere acquaintances thrust together by circumstance."
"Yes. Miss Kichida's life was put to a premature end by one of us. We only cooperated in the investigation to cover more space in a condensed amount of time." Frieda points out, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "It was a near necessity."
"Nah, those Kind ninnies think everyone is their BFF!" Michael sneers, eyeing the Elites in question. Indeed, the Kind students appear to be huddled closer together than the others, likely for emotional support. Ricard and Nissa don't bother objecting, but Endi makes a face and looks away while Johanna glowers quietly.
"You wanna say that again, geek?" The boxer challenges, cracking her knuckles threateningly. Michael's eyes widen to the size of saucers, and he starts to back away, holding his hands up in an act of surrender. Johanna raises a balled up fist, only to get blocked by a frantic Nissa.
"N-No fighting your friends!" She sputters desperately, waving her arms as though in a rush to hail a taxi cab. "W-We're supposed to do the normal, nice things together! You know, like eat ice cream together and share our hopes and dreams!"
"Hopes and dreams?" Lance repeats in disbelief before his voice spikes up angrily. "What are you, brain dead?! You know what's on the line here-or do those ears of yours not function properly, either? If we guess incorrectly, we're going to end up just like the victim!"
"There's no need to phrase it so harshly, Lance..." Endi sighs, retaining a relatively calm look in the face of conflict. His fingers betray his expression, as he continues to pick at the buttons on his jacket as he speaks.
"It's because you IMBECILES aren't using your heads!" Mustachio Pete yells at an ear-shattering volume. Endi flinches and recoils when Lance shoves his puppet into the craftsman's face for emphasis.
"Can I punch the little shit now?" Johanna offers quietly, her nostrils flaring like those of a bull's. Lance narrows his eyes at the Kind student and mouths, "Try me." A bad move on his part, I'd say.
A fist comes hurtling at the tiny ventriloquist, but it doesn't quite manage to hit him in the nose. Oh, and so close. Zachariah expertly cuts in mid-way, catching Johanna's punch before any contact is made.
"Stand down!" The knight commands, his voice sharp and steely as a sword. His annoying upbeat hazel eyes have significantly darkened along with his tone. "You heard Lady Nissa. Conflict is not welcome prior to a class trial." Off to the side, Mana lets out a low whistle in amazement.
"Yeah? And you're gonna make me stop if I keep it up? You and what army, pretty boy?" Johanna barks, not afraid to back down. Zachariah stiffens. Everyone knows what his answer will be; he will need to resort to violence himself to restrain her.
"As captain of the royal guard, I have led armies into countless battles. Do not force my hand." Zachariah replies, folding his arms across his broad chest. Johanna scoffs at him, perhaps not taking his warning seriously, or just not caring.
"P-Please listen to Mister G-Garmont!" Ellanora squeaks, finally finding the courage to speak up. "W-We already have enough t-trouble as it is..."
"What...she said." Cado adds, agreeing with the statistician. The blacksmith must really feel strongly about that statement, since he rarely ever speaks.
"Look, everyone seriously needs to just chillax!" Jaxon suggests, throwing his arms behind his head in a lazy gesture. "Gettin' all worked up makes you age a whole lot faster."
"Exactly, children! Please, do obey Mister Caldwell!" Fukushi begs, only to be immediately interrupted by Carina.
"He has no right to say anything about our behavior!" The falconer cries, seething from head to toe, "The idiot did nothing to contribute to our investigative efforts!"
"Birdbrain is still salty about it, too." Mana giggles, bringing a hand to her mouth. "All it takes is one hair outta place 'n she loses it." She then turns to Priscilla and asks, "Yo, Mom. Aren't you gonna say somethin' about all of this?"
"Hm?" The baker glances over, apparently having been drifting off the past few minutes. "Oh, sorry, hon. I was lost in my own thoughts for a while there..."
"Huh? 'Bout what, the shade of pink icing on your next batch of cookies?"
"Well, I was thinkin'...why is the dearie dragon having us do this?" Priscilla wonders aloud, abruptly silencing the quarrels nearby. "I mean, I think we were brought here by a Curse of sorts accordin' to Fukushi, and he's tryin' to help us get out. But why does Monoryuu want us to do all this? The killing, the trial, and execution. It's just so bizarre."
"That's...that's a very valid point." I say slowly, surprised that Priscilla is the first to bring the question up. "What is his motive for forcing us into this situation, this fairy tale life of mutual killing?"
"Er, do you know anything, Fukushi?" Thomas inquires, raising an eyebrow, "Cuz Monoryuu's, like, your enemy and all, right? You must know tons of stuff on him."
"The Familiar serves one purpose and one purpose only," our Narrator explains sadly, hanging his head, "and that is the expand the Curse to cover all parts of the world."
A collective "WHAT?!" resounds throughout the entire village. For once, the Elites react similarly to something.
"How does this convoluted scheme help him accomplish that in any way?!" Carina demands, spit flying out of her mouth. Gone is her collected demeanor, replaced with fiery rage.
"W-Will my friends and family be h-h-hurt by the Curse too...? Please, no...!" Ellanora sobs, her entire body shaking with dear. The statistician nearly sinks onto her knees, but is supported by a swift, worried looking knight.
"That's terrible!" Endi proclaims, going paler than white bed sheets. He stumbles backwards, struggling to maintain his balance. "W-Why would he..."
"I suspect it doesn't matter at this point." Frieda interjects, her lips pursed into a tight line. The composer raises her line of sight to the brilliant blue sky. "Speak of the devil, and he shall arrive."
"Heeeeeeey, guess who's back?!"
...Crap.
"Yay! Yippee! Yahoo! Looks like everyone is present and accounted for! That means we can get this show on the road ASAP!" Light Monoryuu exclaims giddily, hovering over us like a five year old evil overlord. "Aren't you guys SO excited?! I know I am!"
Yeah, but no one cares what you think, you lunatic...
"W-Wait just a second!" Carina shouts, her eyes narrowing into slivers, "I have some questions for yo-" But she is completely ignored by the familiar, who addresses Fukushi instead.
"Move over, Foofy! There's a new goddamn sheriff in town!" Dark Monoryuu orders, smacking the owl off of his water fountain roost with a scaled tail. Fukushi lets out a squawk and crashes down (luckily landing safely in Zachariah's arms). Geez, that knight is saving everyone today...
"Did you hear me?!" Carina demands shrilly, her voice revving up. From her shoulder, Icarus tenses, preparing to attack if commanded. The falconer only earns a lax, half-lidded expression from Monoryuu.
"Yeah, I did...but you know what? I just don't care..." The dragon admits in a bland tone, coloring Carina's face with irritation. "What's really important...is the trial...I'm not here for anything else but that..."
"And how exactly do you presume us to undertake such a task?" Carina hisses, not taking getting snubbed very well. Her gaze is dagger-like and vicious. "There are about a million unanswered questions floating around in addition to the ones pertaining to this murder. No one is going to be willing to participate in this silly game of yours without more clarifica-"
"Ah...you're so boring. Just shuddap and let the fun part happen, will ya?" Monoryuu yawns, planting his reptilian heinie on top of the water fountain's statue. He grins down at us with dead, lifeless eyes; the eyes of a mad man. Or is it a mad dragon?
"Alright, that is IT!" Carina cries, putting her foot down. She is finally at her wit's end. Icarus waits for the order to take off and go for Monoryuu's throat. "I have done my best to remain cordial despite all of your meaningless drivel! If you don't start talking, I will have no choice but to-GAH!"
The Loyal student's threat is abruptly cut off when the ground underneath us begins to violently shake. A chorus of screams and helps ripples through the atmosphere. Some Elites fall onto the ground, others cling to nearby classmates or buildings for support. Monoryuu cackles excessively, taking much delight in our terror.
"A-An earthquake?!" Fukushi sputters, whipping his head to his monochrome counterpart. "You...you cease this childishness at once! You could harm the Characters!"
"Haha, lol, nope!" Light Monoryuu laughs, throwing a carefree raspberry at the Narrator. "Serves'em right for being curious little brats!"
"W-What the hell is going on here?!" I shriek, collapsing into a ball on the cobblestone laden path. "E-Eep!"
"Need you even ask?" Monoryuu smirks, as though the events unfolding before us are obvious and to be expected. "I'm summoning the Court Grounds, of course! You don't expect us to have a trial without a proper setting, do ya?"
As if to elaborate on the familiar's response, the ground directly below me gives way before launching me up onto a raised platform. Various other Elites let out similar screams as they, too, are shot into the air on thick chunks of land. We're honestly not elevated that far off from the ground-perhaps seven or eight feet at most-but it manages to jump scare us nevertheless.
The water fountain in the middle of village square has been uprooted along with us, its central statue now veiled in a cloak of light. When this is finally cast off by a gust of wind, the water fountain is no more. It has been replaced with a giant, gaudy throne and a black cauldron, green goo and disgusting mulch-y substances boiling in it.
Just when we think it's over, it isn't. In a flash of white, golden beams shoot up from the edges of our platforms, reaching up towards the sky. They meet at a single point above our heads, dulling away to form the bars of a gilded cage, containing each of us within. Even Fukushi isn't left out; he gets magically locked up and planted directly next to the throne, which Monoryuu happily plops himself into. To add insult to injury, showy flowers begin to crawl up the bars of our cages, accentuating the beauty of such a surreal experience.
The sixteen of us Elites stand in a circle, staring at each other and slowly processing the rapid turn of events. Below, Halkyonia seems more deserted than ever, with wind whistling in our ears. Monoryuu has a good laugh at our gaping, flabbergasted expressions.
"You should see the LOOKS on your faces! So fucking pathetic!" The dragon screeches, absolutely dying from amusement. "What, black cat got your tongues? You kiddies ain't never seen crap like this before?!"
With a trembling hand, I reach out, grabbing onto the bars of my golden cage. It feels firm and cool against my fingers, and too real to be true.
What just happened...? Magic, that's what. Legitimate magic, conjuring something from nothing. My heart sinks. Under normal circumstances, I would be ecstatic to learn of the existence of magic, but all this does is confirm how screwed we are. If we so much as look at Monoryuu the wrong way, he has the power to instantly end us.
"H-Hey, you let us out this INSTANT!" Fukushi demands angrily, defiantly tackling his confines. "I will not tolerate this...this blasphemy!"
"Since when was giving a dead girl justice considered blasphemy?!" Dark Monoryuu challenges, sending a nasty glare Fukushi's way. "One of your precious wittle Characters killed her, so we gotta do things the old fashioned way to make sure her spirit's in resting in piss! Or peace! Or some dumb shit along those lines, I dunno!"
"You wicked monster! Foul beast! Vile vermin!" Our Narrator spits bitterly, his grandfatherly persona now distant and hateful. "Fine! If you won't free us, then I'll nag you until your ears bleed!"
My face falls. Is that really the best threat Fukushi can come up with? Well, there definitely is a clear power difference between the two of them, but still! That's the lamest counter argument I've heard anyone use.
"...Another word out of you and I'll blow your Characters' brains out." Monoryuu says, his face neutral-but his beady little eyes seethe with concealed rage. My stomach lurches. Something tells me we don't want to cross the familiar, and Fukushi shutting up confirms just how dangerous Monoryuu is.
"Good, good!" The dragon beams widely, displaying all of his sharp pearly whites. With a twirl in his seat, Monoryuu announces, "Mweeheehee...welcome to the fabled Court Grounds, where all souls shall face judgement before facing freedom...or the GALLOWS!" Then familiar belts out another line of mad laughter before continuing his melodramatic talk.
"Friends! Foes! We gather here today for the trial of Mayumi Kichida's murderer!" As he speaks, plumes of smoke emerge from his cauldron, projecting a ghostly image of the victim before us, a pink X over her face.
"The rules are simple as fuck, so you better remember them! Talk to each other and share your evidence or whatever to locate the killer! At the end of the trial, everyone has to vote for who the hell they think went 'n done it!
"If the majority of you guessed correctly...the Cursed gets executed...but if you guessed incorrectly, well...then the Cursed gets to walk free, and everyone else perishes..."
Cursed? Must be another code word. The meaning? Guilty.
"And that's basically it!" Monoryuu concludes, glancing from face to face with an enormous toothy smile. "Remember to have fun and to not worry about the consequences!"
And just like that, we are thrust, confused and unprepared, into our first trial.
Everything rides on this.
Our beginnings...
...and our endings.
TRIAL 1: START!
For the longest time, we stare at each other through the bars of our cages, Zachariah directly across from me, Jaxon to the left of me (just my luck) and Ricard to my right. Everything is too fast, too sudden, so no one knows quite how to react. Fortunately for us, Carina, once again, takes charge.
"First thing's first," the falconer heaves a massive sigh, massaging both of her temples to drive away an oncoming migraine, "what were you people doing outside, anyway? Was it not obvious that you were endangering yourself by doing so?"
"Oooh, such a bitter start!" Monoryuu squeals, behaving like an overly involved sports fan watching two star players quarrel. The dragon brushes his claws against his cheeks and lets out a girlish squee.
"Ah, Birdbrain's still stuck on that!" Mana groans, slapping her forehead in a dramatic, exaggerated motion. "Yeesh, you're saltier than a salt mine! You know it's not an official rule, right? No one is enforcing it."
"I'm only harping because that's exactly why all of this happened!" Carina counters icily, directing her evil eye at Zachariah and I. She deserves a pat on the back for restraining herself from outright accusing us. "If everyone had stayed indoors, none of this would have been able to transpire! That's why you should have listened to me!"
"Er, well, looking on the bright side, at least none of us ended up dead, right...?" Thomas points out anxiously, only to get berated by Johanna.
"Dumbass! That doesn't make it any better!" The boxer roars, her hands balled up into fists. They would look happier on someone's face than at Johanna's sides. "Someone still fuckin' died!"
"The poor girl..." Frieda murmurs softly, her dark orbs pulsating as they flicker around. "Mayumi Kichida, was it?"
"Um, may I ask a question?" Ricard asks, raising a hand slightly, as though in a classroom. Carina groans, but indulges him.
"Yes?"
"Uh, who is she? Mayumi, I mean. I'm pretty sure that no one here knows her, since there were only sixteen of us to begin with. All we know about her is her name. We're not even sure if she's formally afflicted with Camelot or counts as an Elite, which is the one thing we all have in common. She was wearing a golden Camelot uniform, but our class cap shouldn't exceed sixteen. Why would anyone kill a stranger?"
"Because someone obviously wants to get out! It doesn't matter who is killed, so long as someone can cover it up and get away with it!" Lance barks, sneering at the hunter. "That much is clear. What are you, stupid?"
"It was bad luck on Mayumi's part for walking in on such a dire situation." Endi mumbles, his gaze wandering from the trial itself to admire the ornate flowers entangling his cage. Leave it to the craftsman to admire the trap he is caught in.
"Oh! Nissa wonders why the killer went after Mayumi, then!" The illusionist pipes up, raising her baton in the air. "There are lots of Elites to pick, like crayon colors out of a box! Why target her, of all people?"
"U-U-Um!" Ellanora stammers, raising her voice to be overheard, "T-There is a high probability that she was u-unaware of the Story and its rules...She didn't know all this...Curses and Characters n-nonsense, or th-that there was a killing game going o-on...so she didn't think she'd be in d-danger. She was probably l-like us at the start...just w-wandering around, lost...a-and looking for civilization."
"Oooooh, now I get it!" Jaxon laughs in a carefree way, slapping his knees. "So the killer went after Mayumi because she didn't know anything about what was going on! That makes sense! It'd be a whole lot easier to attack an unaware person than an alert one!"
My head jolts up as the wayfarer concludes his statement. I know for a fact that's not true. What she had told me on the night of her death implied a completely different thing! But they're moving on quickly, quickly, quickly. If I don't speak up now, I'll never be heard-so I blurt out the first thing that pops into my mind.
"You've got that wrong!" I exclaim, my voice harsh and frantic due to its sudden nature. As the rash phrase escapes from my mouth, I feel a warmth wash over me-and then another weird thing happens. I see letters materialize before me, forming my sentence. They merge together and warp, shaping into a bright red wyvern.
I gasp and back up, only to see the dragon ignore me and instead surge toward Jaxon. The wayfarer lets out a loud yelp, but the moment the wyvern collides with Jaxon's golden cage, it disintegrates into nothingness. Blood red light rains down on us.
"Wh...What was that?!" Michael gapes, ogling Jaxon as though he were a chunk of alien technology. "Everyone saw that...right?! It wasn't just me?"
"A dragon...Estelle's words became a dragon..." Cado mumbles to himself, his typically lax gaze gone. "How...?"
"I...I must be going mad!" Zachariah concludes, furiously raking his hands through his hair. "Surely this cannot be!"
"Oh, but it is!" Light Monoryuu giggles, very much enjoying the disarray that is our confusion. "Those cages serve two purposes, my dear nincompoops! They make sure you stay in, and keep those creatures out!"
"More of your goddamn Manifestations?!" Johanna guesses, more pissed off than ever. Her face seems to suggest that she longs to rip out of her confines and beat the stuffing out of Monoryuu, but she thinks better of it and stays put.
"Yeah...just to add some more spice to the trial...I like seeing your terrified faces...it keeps little ol' me entertained in this big, boring world..." Monoryuu casually confesses, a demented grin planted on his smug face. Beside the familiar, Fukushi pales, but stays silent.
"In this sacred space, all your strongest thoughts and feelings...they multiply and multiply and multiply...and if your conviction is powerful enough, you summon your own inner demons to the trial...You stay locked in there, and let your words take form and duke it out...because here, words are your literal weapons to strike others down...This is the Story, after all...what is said and written will impact everything! Isn't that just...wonderful?"
"That sounds quite frightening, actually." Priscilla hums to herself, her cheery expression betraying her words. "I guess we need to be careful about what we say and how we handle our emotions here. How interesting."
"Interesting, my mother fuckin' ass!" Johanna roars, her grip on her prison bars tightening. "You sick basta-whoa!" The boxer stops mid-sentence and glances down at her feet. A pair of ghostly hands have emerged from the ground and latched onto her legs, try to pull her down.
Johanna screams. Loudly. Very, very loudly.
"Careful, careful! Get too outta control and your own Manifestation will turn on you!" Monoryuu warns, wagging a claw at the Kind student. "Anyway, don't let such a minor thing distract ya from the trial! Carry on!"
"How does he expect us to just casually go back to what we were doing before now that we know that?" Jaxon grumbles under his breath. He scratches the back of his head as he tries to recall our conversation. "Er, I guess I was sayin' something about how Mayumi didn't know about the Story, so she would be a vulnerable target. Then Estelle cut in."
"Did you have something to add to his statement?" Frieda inquires, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement.
"I do!" I reply with a huff, tired of the composer subtly belittling me. "What he says is incorrect. Mayumi did know about the Story and its rules."
"And how would you know?" Lance snorts, quick to dismiss my argument. "Look at the Fukushi Files. The victim has no records in the Story. If she didn't officially exist in the Story itself, how would she know about how it operates?"
"She told me herself. On the night of the murder, I found Mayumi. She hadn't died yet, so I tried to help-but all she told me was to save myself from those that don't belong in the Story, and something about a Self Insert. I don't know about you, but that certainly makes it sound like she definitely knows what she's talking about!"
"That sounds pretty convenient for you to find her on the verge of death...and she just happened to regurgitate that vital intell to you?" Mana asks, narrowing her emerald eyes in suspicion.
"It's possible!" Nissa explains to the mercenary, "Very possible! Cuz the autopsy says Mayumi lived for a short while after being attacked!"
"But why would she blab to a stranger, then?"
"I...I'm not exactly sure why, but Mayumi seemed to recognize me, even though I don't know her. She...she trusted me in her final moments, so the least I can do is bring her dying words up." I sputter, stumbling over my own sentences.
"Alright, I'll buy your story." Lance pipes up to my surprise. I give him a dubious look. Why would he suddenly decide to put his faith in me, given how distrustful he has been in the past?
The ventriloquist turns to Monoryuu. "You there. When did you make the body discovery announcement?"
"Who, me?" The familiar asks, playing innocent before responding with, "Well, this particular time, it was in place of the morning announcement at 7:00 am. It was after the knight over there stumbled across the golden girl. That happened a few minutes earlier, I think."
"I see." Lance whips his head toward Zachariah. The short violet boy's lips are in an unreadable, yet serious expression. "And you, human meat shield. You reportedly found the blondie passed out by the corpse, yes? And then you reported to the rest of us?"
"It is as you say, Sir Lance." Zachariah replies, not offended at all by the ventriloquist's rather offensive nickname for him. "I was on my morning patrol of Halkyonia."
"Great!" Lance suddenly bursts out into an uncharacteristic grin. He then quickly sinks back into a smug smirk, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction. An eerie purple aura, the makings of a Manifestation, surrounds him. "I do believe we've found our murderer."
"What?!"
Me...?
"It's clear, isn't it?" Lance snickers, putting forth all of his efforts into driving his point home. "Estelle admits to being the first to find the body. The victim had some sort of connection to her, even if she denies it herself. Our resident meat shield acknowledges that he found Estelle near the corpse. She probably had blood on her at the time, but it was washed off so her injury could be tended to. In fact, Estelle likely arranged all of this to make herself look weak and innocent.
"The body discovery announcement was made after the dumb oaf found Estelle, a little before 7:00 am. If he were the killer, he wouldn't have had time to hide evidence or clean up blood when Monoryuu made his announcement at 7. You buffoons were already out investigating by then and surely would have spotted the meat shield if he were up to something shady. Therefore, we must conclude that Estelle is the killer."
"Guilty, guilty, guilty!" Mustachio Pete sings, blaring in a shrill tone in my ears. I feel like tearing his idiotic mustache out and using it for a bonfire.
Lance, the dirty little weasel! That's what he was up to all along?! Building up his case to accuse me, a fellow Wise student?!
"You must be joking!" I seethe, gritting my teeth at the irritating brat. So much for Priscilla's friendship lesson and bonding over horribly made barley bread. I feel myself pulsating with red rage. "If I were guilty, why would I bring up that I found Mayumi's body in the first place?!"
"You're throwing us off of your scent. It happens all the time in mystery novels." Lance replies coolly, sticking his nose in the air. What gives him the right to act all high and mighty?! He hadn't moved an inch out of his guild room! "There, case closed. You're welcome. Can I leave now?"
"No. Thou shalt remain until this matter is formally settled." Zachariah orders, frowning at the small child. "Such accusations are not meant to be taken lightly, Sir Lance."
"What does it matter, so long as I'm right?!" Lance whines, puffing up his cheeks in anger. For all his talk of not being a child, he certainly does behave like one. Maybe even younger than a child. An infant, perhaps.
"I don't think it is as simple as you make it out to be, Mister Hawthorn." Carina points out, freezing Lance in his tracks. Icarus straightens on his master's shoulder, proud of Carina for sassing the Wise boy.
"You're questioning my logic?" The ventriloquist sneers, clearly not thinking very highly of a bird tamer.
"While I do concede that Estelle is very suspicious at the moment, it's far too early to be jumping to conclusions." Carina explains sharply. "We must first discuss the other details of how this crime was carried out before we vote anyone up. After all, our lives are on the line."
"Pfft, whatever. Do whatever you want!" Lance groans, glaring at the other Elites. "You're just denying the inevitable-and wasting more of my time while you're at it!"
"Er...Now that that's settled, how do we go about this?" Endi asks, speaking up for the rest of the students. "There are so many components to the murder, it's hard to keep track of everything."
"What about...the murder weapon?" Cado suggests, and is immediately cut off by Thomas.
"Oh, that's right! The meat cleaver, yeah?"
"Th-That makes sense as a weapon...it's s-small enough for even some like E-Estelle to use to her a-advantage..." Ellanora notes, fumbling with her fingers to avoid my livid gaze.
"I'm telling you that I'm innocent! Stop treating me like a criminal when you hardly have any evidence against me!"
"We'll be the judges of that," Frieda insists, a hand covering what is sure to be an amused smile. This is just high entertainment for her. "Back to the cleaver. If I remember correctly, its blade is stained in blood, so it very well could have been used to end Mayumi's life. I suppose that Halkyonia doesn't have finger print or blood analysis technology, so we much make the assumption that the blood on the cleaver belongs to the victim."
"Hold on a sec, I reckon I need some time to piece this together." Priscilla pauses, mulling over this new information. "So what y'all are sayin' is that someone went through the trouble of stealin' a butcher's knife to use as a weapon. The killer struck the victim with that there cleaver, and that killed her?"
"No, that's wrong!" I interrupt, sending another flare of magic up. Again, it harmlessly fazes through our cages. "The Fukushi Files state that she died from blunt force trauma, and sustained no other noticeable wounds!"
"What is the reason for the cleaver's presence, then?" Zachariah wonders, a hand to his chin. "Did the heinous killer go to the trouble of planting a red herring?"
"I dunno. It still sounds sort of fishy to me..." Michael mutters, chewing the inside of his lip. "So what was the real weapon then? What did her in? There wasn't anything else super incriminating at the crime scene."
How exactly was her life out to an end? If it wasn't a stab or a puncture, she was hit with something with enough force to damage her and draw blood. Of the places I can currently think of with bloodstains, only one makes sense...
I've got it!
"The weapon that actually killed Mayumi was also at the location where we discovered her body. But it wasn't small or mobile like the meat cleaver." I clarify, earning wide eyed looks from the Elites. "It was, in fact, the water fountain she was leaning against."
"What brings you to that conclusion?" Ricard inquires, his eyes brows cinched together in bewilderment.
"There isn't that much blood anywhere else in the village. Most of it is either on the victim or nearby. And with no other plausible weapons, one must go with the near impossible.
"The water fountain makes the most sense. Mayumi's head was bashed into the stone ledge, causing her to start bleeding. She was unable to move much following her attack, so she was forced to stay there, next to the weapon that forced her into the situation in the first pla-"
"Hold it!" Frieda interjects, cutting me off. Oh no. I don't like the dark expression on her face. "How are you so sure that the murder occurred in the village square and not elsewhere? After all, traces of blood were found at the apothecary's as well, along with that big mess."
"Would you let me finish my argument first?"
"Certainly. But not until you have disproven mine!"
"Fine, I'll play your silly game!" Grrr, don't test my patience like this, Frieda!
"Let us begin." The composer suggests. With that, a line of silver swords materialize, dancing before her. "I propose that the true scene of the crime is the apothecary's! There, the killer cornered the victim and a struggle occurred. That's why the apothecary's was in such a wreck!" As Frieda speaks, her glittering weapons launch themselves at me, smashing against my cage and rattling its bars.
"There would be more blood around if someone had died in the apothecary's! That much is clear if you compare the amount of blood at the two sites!" I counter, crimson blades whistling past me in a rebuttal.
"True, but who's to say that the killer couldn't have manipulated the blood at the apothecary's? There are plenty of medicinal supplies and spare rags around for dressing wounds. One could easily cover up the real scene of the crime and transport the body elsewhere."
"You think Mayumi was moved?"
"Well, she couldn't have done it herself. She would have been too injured crawl herself anywhere. The killer, on the other hand, was able to come and go as he pleased. He planted the cleaver to throw us off track, so why not also move the corpse's location?"
"Could the killer really have done that? Moving a human body from one place to another and making false evidence would take a decent amount of time and effort."
"Anything is possible under the veil of night. With no witnesses around, the killer has free reign to get away with anything at his own leisurely pace."
...A weak point!
"You've got that wrong!" I cry, a scarlet sword racing past my head and slicing Frieda's line of weapons. "The Fukushi Files say that Mayumi lived for a short amount of time after her attack. When I found her in the village square, she was still alive, but only for a few minutes. The killer wouldn't have had time to transport the body all the way from the apothecary's-and even if they did, they wouldn't have been able to clean up any blood left behind!"
"Alright, if we choose to believe your claims, then how do you explain the state of the apothecary's?" Frieda challenges, waving away the last of the glittering particles of her Manifested swords. "If no struggle occurred there, why the mess?"
"Y-Y-Yeah!" Ellanora chimes in, quaking in her shoes. "M-Mister Bell and I were present when you w-were investigating. W-We saw drops of blood on some of the s-shattered jars."
"I can confirm what Maria said," Ricard offers, nodding his head in agreement. All eyes turn to me, waiting for a response.
The reason for the chaos and blood at the apothecary's, even though no quarrel happened there...but what if a fight happened elsewhere? If the victim was virtually immobile from the attack, then the only way for the mess to exist would be...ah-hah!
"I've got it! A struggle did happen, but not at the apothecary's. It was in the village square, where the blood was the most abundant. Since the victim couldn't move much after being struck, the killer was the one who left for the apothecary's! He must have gotten injured in their quarrel and needed to treat himself.
"The killer must have either panicked in the wake of what he had done, or in a rush, which is why there's such a mess. No one here knows the apothecary's layout well enough to instantly locate what they need, given that we all arrived only a few days ago."
Frieda smiles. Quietly. Eerily. It's the sort of expression that a cat wears when it has finally caught its prey; now I've got you. I don't think anything of it-the composer has a habit of creeping me out on a regular basis anyway. It's just Frieda being Frieda...right?
"Got it! So the killer has an injury now and is trying to conceal it!" Jaxon cries, leaping into action. "Everyone, strip!"
"No. Just...no." Priscilla responds immediately, her motherly grin turning dark and sinister. An army of pink knives manifest by her head, and the baker doesn't even bat an eye. She looks about ready to whack Jaxon over the head with a rolling pin and roast him for dinner.
"Why not? You heard Estelle! It's the fastest way to find our murderer!"
"You have a death wish or somethin', buddy?!" Johanna seethes, giving the wayfarer a frosty glare. "You lookin' to die today?!"
"Uh, let's not do that!" Ricard interjects before a fight breaks out in court. "Obviously, we can't just ask everyone to take their clothes off. That'd be plain embarrassing..."
"He's right," I agree with a nod, "there are smarter and more decent ways to locate injuries. Of course, it'd be a lot easier if we knew that the killer had a wound somewhere hard to cover up, but we don't. We're just going to have to deduce our way out of this mess."
"Wait, what if the injury was on the forehead? That's easy to spot. But then aren't you just pointing to yourself as the culprit again...?" Thomas points out, looking very confused. "You're saying the killer is currently wounded, right? And you have one on your head, Estelle."
"So...Blondie killed the victim, then she went to get medical supplies and get fake evidence. Then she returned to the scene of the crime to act all innocent?" Michael reiterates, his gaze passing from Elite to Elite for validation.
"I think you left out a part there, Mikey." Jaxon cuts in casually, "She must've gone to the bath house to get rid of the blood on herself. Cuz there were medicinal supplies and a bucket of soapy, bloody water there when I went to bathe earlier today. Guess the little miss didn't clean off her trial as well as she cleaned herself off, huh?"
"...Too much information." Cado groans, heaving a sigh. His lost breath sews itself together into a boring gray rock and comedically falls to the ground once it processes the laws of gravity. "Don't want to visualize that..."
"Ehehehe, sorry there, buddy. I guess I did get a little carried away with the details there."
"That sounds 'bout right to me!" Johanna agrees, bringing a fist to an open hand. "Everythin' else lines up, too!"
"I didn't think she had it in her to kill." Mana mutters, shaking her head in disappointment. "But I can't really argue when the evidence is starin' right at me."
"E-Etooo! Nissa can hardly believe it either." The illusionist squeaks, clutching onto her magical staff particularly hard. Her knuckles go white. "I don't wanna go around pointing fingers at friends, but..."
At this, Lance sneers and tosses me a sideways glance. "See? What did I tell you? This was a complete and utter waste of my time. The fool has cornered herself."
"Bye-o-nara! Ya went and dug your own grave!" Mustachio Pete taunts, cackling maniacally. Lance is lucky these cages are keeping us apart, or else I'd already have taken that annoying puppet of his and dropped it into an oven.
"Bubbles sure is shady, huh?"
"Estelle's the killer? No way..."
"Blondie's pretty guilty lookin' right about now."
"I hate to admit it, but the little asshole is right..."
"Mm, I had my doubts about her before, but now is a different story."
The ventriloquist's words have truly hit home with the other students. Uh-oh. I visibly pale, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. That wasn't the piece of information I wanted them to glean from my argument!
"W-Wait a second! Listen to me! I'm...I'm innocent!" I spit out in vain. Lance's idea has finally consolidated in their minds. The Elites' suspicious gazes hone in on me. Watching. Judging. Ignoring my protests. Entrapping me.
I'm suddenly dizzy, like I'm in the middle of a nightmare that I can't wake up from. The ground below me may as well be a vortex, because I feel like I'm being pulled down with the force of a thousand tons of gravity. My heart palpitates ever faster.
If I back, they won't hear me out, not even the Kind or Loyal ones at this point. Yes, they'll certainly feel guilty about condemning me, but it won't change their decision regardless. I'm doomed.
"Oh? What's this?" Monoryuu wonders aloud, straightening up in his throne with a wicked grin. "Have you fine lil' shitlets arrived at an answer? Can we finally get to the slaughterin', or what?"
Lance opens his mouth to deliver a "yes", but nearly falls flat on his face when he is interrupted. I guess he wasn't expecting that. None of us are, really-not even me.
But he raises his voice anyway.
The white knight.
Am I honestly expecting anyone else?
"Halt! I object; I object on behalf of milady!" Zachariah booms, his voice resounding in the skies. Monoryuu lets out a disappointed moan before sinking back into his seat.
"I'm gonna nap! Wake me the hell up when it's killin' time!" The dragon grunts, flopping over onto his side. Only a few seconds elapse before very loud, prominent snoring erupts from Monoryuu's form.
"H-He actually fell asleep!? And so quickly?!" Fukushi gapes from his confines, staring down at his counterpart. I suppose he wonders how someone so derpy could overpower him, the Narrator.
"Ignore those two." Carina sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose with two fingers. She seems quite fed up with this game. "Mister Garmont, might I ask what exactly it is that you are objecting to?"
"Why, Sir Lance's statement, of course! 'Tis most objectionable!" Zachariah replies bluntly, to which the ventriloquist face palms. My heart sinks. This is the worst possible defense I can get.
"Mister Garmont, please take this seriously." Carina advises in an irritated tone. Upon her shoulder, Icarus stomps in place, putting on another display of annoyance. "Speak up if you legitimately find an incorrect point in an argument, not if you personally choose not to believe in an accusation. Do not allow your own bias to cloud your judgement."
"You misunderstand me!" Zachariah insists, thrusting a finger in Carina's direction. A cobalt glow emits from his general vicinity. "I hold in my possession proof of milady's innocence!"
"You do?" Lance remarks questionably, arching an eyebrow. He gives an airy laugh like a snooty aristocrat. "This should be good. Let's hear it, then."
"'Tis simple! Milady's injury 'twas not dressed until after the body discovery announcement, when she was out cold! She had no reason to travel to the apothecary's, nor time to plant falsified evidence! Ergo, milady is not the killer!"
Words fly out of Zachariah's mouth so fast that I can hardly process them. Navy blue images blur by, bullets against our golden confines. Still, one thing is clear: somehow, he's actually managing to pull off a semi-coherent defense. It takes all of my effort to now let my jaw hit the floor. Sad as it is, I make a mental note to thank the insane knight later-well, if we survive past that, I mean.
"Oh, that's right! Zach bandaged Estelle's wound himself and made sure she was resting." Ricard speaks up, recalling the incident.
"H-Hmph! Don't get so cocky, meat shield!" Lance snorts, shooting the knight a wicked glare. "You're clearly siding with her as an accomplice! That's it, isn't it?! You've been working together all along!" (Upon hearing those words, Ellanora flinches and shrinks back, even though they aren't directed at her.)
"Nope!" Monoryuu squeaks, scaring the living daylights out of us by suddenly snap wide awake from his nap. His single crimson eye gleams excitedly at us. "Only one person can be the Cursed; the true killer! Accomplices don't benefit at all from scheming with someone else!"
"W-What?! You must be joking! Tell me you're joking!" Lance sputters, spit flying out of his mouth. Monoryuu snubs the ventriloquist and returns to sleeping. Lance completely deflates, looking defeated, but not anything less than livid. Her arrogant violet aura dies down with him.
"S-S-So Estelle isn't the killer a-after all...?" Ellanora guesses, stating the obvious. A mutter of consent passes through the Elites.
"That's what I was trying to tell you all along!" I mumble, heaving a sigh of relief. At last, my name has been cleared!
"I was wrong?" Lance repeats, narrowing his eyes angrily. "Impossible! You have to be the killer, you just have to be!"
"Well, I suppose that's just what happens when you don't participate in the investigation and make nothing but assumptions instead." Thomas points out, shrugging. "Your loss, Lance. You weren't quite prepared for this trial, huh?" The ventriloquist turns redder than a tomato, letting out a muted, hissing sound at Thomas.
"Putting that aside, are we seriously back to square one?" Mana groans, placing her hands on her hips. "If the murder weapon or whatever was the water fountain itself, any ol' idiot can bash someone's head there and kill them."
"A whole lot of good that did for us!" Johanna growls, her eyebrows knitted together in anger.
"Um, Nissa is confused now!" The optimistic illusionist announces, bouncing up and down on one foot. "Where do we go from here?"
"I worry it may take too much time to interrogate each of us individually to sort out alibis and the like," Frieda brings up, a hand cupped over her mouth, "so it may be in our best interests to discuss other pieces of evidence and see how they connect to the already established ones."
"I agree with that!" Zachariah calls out boldly. He tries to seize this opportunity to mention a topic of his choice, but is interjected by Endi before he can do so.
"I think the candlestick maker's is definitely involved in this murder somehow," the craftsman argues softly, his eyes shining with a hidden determination.
"What, are you gonna claim that that's where the crime actually happened?" Michael challenges, grimacing sat the mention of a new location. As though we didn't already have enough to mentally juggle!
"I don't think so. There wasn't any blood in the shop, but the set up in there certainly looked suspicious." Endi explains, naming off oddities on his fingers. "The broken door, the wooden plank, the see-through string, all those candles..."
"Wha~ It's so mysterious! What does it all mean?!" Nissa inquires, not putting forth much effort to answer the questions herself. A parade of highlighter yellow stars fizz around her. The illusionist's Manifestations seem upbeat and cheery, just like her.
"Uh, excuse me..." Cado mutters, grabbing everyone's attention. The blacksmith holds up his E-Scroll, pointing to one of the Laws of Storytelling. "How is...the door broken? Here, the rules say..."
2. Night time is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas and buildings will be inaccessible to Characters at night.
5. Destroying property and breaking into locked facilities is frowned upon, and will also result in punishment.
"Oh my." Priscilla gasps, testing her cheek in her plump hands. "Maybe the candlestick maker's isn't locked at night? The rules don't specify what is or isn't inaccessible."
"Let's ask the bloody familiar!" Johanna suggests. Veering her head to the throne in the center of the court room, the boxer bellows, "OI! MONORYUU! WAKE THE HELL UP!"
"W-Wuzzat?!" The dragon yelps, jolting up in his seat. A line of drool dribbles down his chin as he rises from his slumber. Looking quite irritated, Monoryuu snaps, "Alright, alright! I'm up, ya good-for-nothing runts! Is it time for me to execute someone yet?!"
"Not quite." Carina replies, stepping in to delegate. "We wish to know which institutions are and aren't closed to us at night."
"Eh, is that it?" Monoryuu sighs, leaning back in his throne and kicking his feet up. A bland expression overtakes his face. "As of right now...the apothecary's, the bath house, and the main entrance of the guild are open at night...nothing else...all other buildings and private guild rooms are automatically locked up at 10:00 pm...when a Character closes a door..."
"What? But that's impossible. The candlestick maker's door is busted...someone totally broke in!" Jaxon points out, eyes wide. "Y'know, cuz otherwise they'd be punished!"
"Did Monoryuu just forget to punish the offender? Or maybe he didn't get around to punishing the offender quickly enough." Ricard offers anxiously, putting on a strained smile. "Although I guess we should be glad no one got hurt from breaking a rule."
"I dunno, did I?" Monoryuu giggles, having another laugh at our expense. The tiny monochrome bastard!
"Did it really happen that way?" I question aloud, earning stares from the Elites. I can't help but think how strange it is to suggest that Monoryuu, who has displayed crazed bloodlust on multiple occasions, would turn down the opportunity to dole out punishment to anyone. "Let's try to bring the other pieces of evidence at the candlestick maker's into perspective."
"What else is there to really explain?" Michael scoffs, frowning at me. "The candles and string were in the shop to begin with, so nothing unusual there. That's just how candles were made back in the day; dangling string in wax. The wooden plank was probably leftover building material or something."
I internally slap myself in the forehead. Of course, another bare bones argument, coming from someone who didn't contribute to the investigation at all. How useful-not.
"There...there are so many things wrong with those statements. Where do I even begin?" Endi mumbles to himself, staring blankly at Michael. "Actually, there was a whole hoard of used candles that weren't burnt up when we first arrived."
"Whoa, is there an arsonist in our group? Or someone who just really loves the scent of burning wax?" Thomas wonders, tilting his head back and forth as he ponders.
Our resident craftsman screeches to a halt and does a double take. Endi abruptly gapes at Thomas, displaying an appalled expression. The mailman realizes that he may have made a mistake and begins to apologize in a flustered manner, only to get cut off by Endi.
"No, no, it's fine," the Kind boy insists, waving dismissively in front of him, "you didn't mean to imply anything; you aren't aware of the candle material..."
"Is there something special about it, dear?" Priscilla inquires, soothing Endi with a warm smile. "It's alright, you can tell us."
"Lard. It's lard. You know," Endi vaguely gestures to the air with his hands, "animal fat."
"Oh, good!" Jaxon chuckles, expelling a breath. A cheery shower of magic-induced sparkles rains down. "I thought for sure you are gonna say something super morbid like, the candles are made of us humans or the tears of orphan children! Just like soylent green!"
"What does it matter if the candles were wax or lard?" Carina demands, her lips taped into a straight line. "They serve the same purpose in the end."
"On the contrary, it actually makes quite a big difference." Endi counters calmly before his expression warps into one of worry. "Lard gives off smoke when burned and wax doesn't."
That explains the smoky scent when I first entered the candlestick maker's. It was reminiscent of the candles' recent use the night prior! Upon this epiphany, the other pieces of evidence slowly start to jumble into place, forming a foggy, yet unified, image.
"Yeah, so what?" Mana mutters, looking disinterested at the prospect of talking about old fashioned household products. Flickering golden stars lazily float by. "I get that they smell funnier, and that's about it."
"So what? So what?" Endi echoes, his voice slightly growing agitated. An orange bubble seems to encapsulated him, making the craftsman appear outlandishly tanned. "I'm not sure how many of you are aware of this, but a large group of lard candles like that can deprive a person of oxygen, or at the very least make someone pass out. This is a serious matter!"
"S-S-Someone could have d-died...?" Ellanora repeats shakily, her pupils dilating.
"Oh, oh, oh! Nissa just thought of something really weird!" The illusionist bursts out, jumping into the middle of Endi's clarification. "That string that we found was set up kinda out of place, like a trap to trip someone! Does that have to do with the smoky candles at all?"
"I agree with that!" I declare loudly, and with a flash of scarlet light, fireworks explode quietly above my head. "Everything is starting to come together! Someone purposefully chose to use lard candles-and plenty of them-to get enough smoke to build up in order to suffocate another student. They prepared the string, hoping that its transparency and the cover of night would make their victim trip and get locked in.
"Even the wooden plank was a part of this. It must have been used as additional reinforcement to keep their victim trapped."
"Why would anyone want to knock another person out? I mean, it might be a kink or somethin', but I don't know if any of us are into that sort of stuff." Jaxon grumbles, scratching his chin. I shuffle away from him, uncomfortable with his slightly inappropriate gags.
"Less resistance when a desperate Elite wants to kill you off to escape, that's why." Carina whispers, sounding like she has just gotten punched in the stomach. "...Absolutely despicable."
"From what I can gather, it seems that a trap was set out, but the victim managed to escape through sheer force or luck..." Frieda notes airily, dusting aside a stray lock of hair.
"Wait, doesn't that imply that the killer knew someone would ignore Carina's rules and be out at night?" Thomas points out, "If they went to all the trouble of preparing that trap, it sounds like a premeditated murder."
"Indeed. It would be rather foolish for one to attempt murder in broad daylight, when witnesses are about." Carina chimes in, frowning at the mention of breaking rules. "They must have gone in at night to set everything up, then hid, waiting for their target to show up."
"Wait just a moment!" I exclaim, cutting off the falconer's comment. "There's something odd about what you guys just said. If the killer really went to the trouble of preparing the candlestick maker's, the doors would have automatically locked behind them when they went inside. That student would have been punished for 'trespassing'!"
"What about the wooden plank, Bubbles?" Mana challenges, "If the door was locked, why use the board to latch it shut from the outside?"
"I...er..." My voice trails off. For the first time since the beginning of this trial, I have no answers. The facts seem to contradict themselves. "I'm actually not sure about that one!"
If the door was locked, there is no need for the plank, and the one setting up the trap would have been punished. On the other hand, it would have been impossible for the door to not have been locked. Once the door is shut by a Character, it autolocks at night time. And if this was a premeditated murder, how did the killer know the victim would be out? No one had known about Mayumi's existence prior to her corpse showing up!
It seems that we've hit a dead end.
"Tch. Worthless," Lance spits out, kicking his foot against his cage. It clangs against the ones next to his, setting off a choir of protests. "We're getting nowhere!"
"Mweeheehee, what's this? Looks like you guys are lost, huh?" Monoryuu sneers, giddy at our confusion. "Ya better hurry 'n come up with somethin' 'fore I get bored!"
"U-Um! Ummmm...Nissa doesn't know! Sorry!"
"I'm out of ideas as well."
"Nothing else to report here."
"Hell if I know where to go from here."
"W-Was everything up to this point totally m-meaningless?"
"Halt everything!" Zachariah utters, jolting out heads toward him. He is cloaked in a veil of navy sparks. "Fear not, for I have the solution to thy queries!"
"Mister Garmont, this had better be good." Carina warns, waving a finger at the boisterous knight. Icarus bristles, annoyed at Zachariah's loudness. "We're grasping at straws at this point."
"But of course, Lady Carina!" The knight reassures her with a merry laugh. "Our issue is that we have been approaching this situation from the wrong angle this entire time!" At that moment, our jaws collectively drop. What exactly motivates him to say such a thing?
"You've gotta be shitting me!" Johanna roars, throwing her arms overhead. "Do we need to start ALL the way over from the beginning AGAIN?!"
"Not necessarily!" Zachariah replies, vigorously shaking his head. "We must simply view our evidence in a different light! Only then can the truth be revealed!"
"Great. And just what is the new angle you propose we look at the case from?" I inquire, choosing to entertain his silly theory. It's not like anyone else has any other leads. Might as well.
"The killer did not go in with the intention of murder. It was, in fact, the other way around!" Zachariah announces firmly, "The victim, the single person immune to the rules of the Story, the only non-Character, was the one with devious ideas in mind!"
A wild barrage of colors explode in the sky. All the Elites express shock to varying degrees. Of all the hues in a rainbow, only navy is absent and aware of what is going on-or so Zachariah thinks.
...Oh, how the tables have turned.
"Well, now.
"Wasn't expectin' that, of all things.
"Seems like this has devolved into a total shit show.
"...I love it!
"Hehe, carry on, you wanna-be Heroes.
"Avenge Mayumi, but more importantly...
"...Entertain me."
...And the SIN this time is DILIGENCE.
He tried so hard for the WRONG cause.
Maybe it would have been better if he had done NOTHING at all.
If only he had embraced ACEDIA instead.
Hello, Danganronpa fans! =7= 'Eeeey, how about that trial? It was much more dialogue than I am used to handling, especially when you look at how introverted Estelle is! Most of the previous chapters are her (mostly negative and tsundere) inner thoughts about other people. I did my best to incorporate all the characters into the trial and make it a unique, truly magical experience for the masses! ;D
Oh, and what does Zachariah, the apparently oblivious knight, have to back up his claim? Could it possibly be right? Is there something that everyone else overlooked this entire time? Will he once again leap into action and save the day? Find out next time on OMMM!
Responding to reviews time~:
PoisonBanana: Has Zach become the main character of a harem anime?! Yes, Estelle is tsundere as usual (and has apparently become a pervert and stalker?). Hugs, not drugs.
Oh yeah. The investigation happened. Ho-hum. Boring, right?
Haha, I guess I must've done a good job of hiding him/her then! Any idea as to who it is now?
misthallery: Yay! Reading your reviews again!
I play Town of Salem myself. Much less diversity than Epic Mafia, but still a ton of fun. They really help out with ideas for murder and then lying about it in court. Perfect lessons for the kids to learn, I'm sure. Yeah, Zach and Estelle seem too obvious. They are carrying out the investigation similarly, but paying attention to different things, y'see. .
Oooh, your question will be (or already has been) answered (depending on how deeply you analyze the information presented this chapter)! Aren't I so benevolent?
So many Ace Attorney moments were had. Is Zach secretly an Edgeworth in disguise, pulling convenient evidence out of his ass? Or like Phoenix, who always seeks justice and believes in his clients? Maybe he's an amalgamate of both! And Estelle is just the token cute teen girl that follows him around, haha. Ironic, since she's technically the main character and he's Kirigiri's/Chiaki's stand in. You'll see eventually...
Good theories! You will see the truth in due time, my friend.
The evidence hath been, as thou sayeth, "decked" out! ...I should stop talking like Zach.
RandomGuyonthestreet13: The winner of the pseudo-contest has already been announced, no need to guess more (although Ishimaru is pretty awesome). PoisonBanana's requested one shot will be out shortly.
The violent, rash ones are always suspected, huh? I don't blame you, I suspected Mondo as a killer right away! Interesting speculation about the weapon, but unfortunately it has been crushed in this chapter...or has it?
Dun dun DUUUUUN!
...Or am I just bluffing? I dunno.
All will be revealed...neeeext chapter!
RoboVolcano4: Oh, a review from ya! Excellent, excellent! I'll never stop thanking you enough for saving my heinie when I needed an OC or two to fill in some slots for recycled characters. Thanks again!
The first thing I thought of was Mettaton when I read your "OH YES!" I'd like to think I'm updating pretty quickly, too. (Er, to make up for the lack of updates earlier in the year...)
You're free to go back and review older chapters if you wish; whatever you feel like is perfectly fine! I'm always happy to hear readers' thoughts on my work!
Yes, those two play off each other quite well, don't they? Fukushi is more of an overprotective grandfather, and Monoryuu is just plain insane.
With the rate things are going now, looks like Nissa, Jaxon, and Frieda will be our next free timers! They will be followed by Carina, Endi, and Ellanora if we have time. Well, that is if none of them are executed in chapter 13...
Alas, a murder has occurred and our poor, honorable protagonist is accused! It looks like Estelle has managed to dodge that bullet (for now), so we're all good! Lance was pretty intent on on executing Estelle thought...no love in that heart of his, tsk tsk.
Oh, who do you think it is? Come on, you can tell me! ;)
Well, that's it for me! We'll conclude the trial next chapter and have ourselves a grand ol' time with the killer's true motive and an execution!
Until then, I'm signing off. See you all (hopefully!) next chapter!